This week we hosted Katie Haun for Icons dinner.
From DOJ prosecutor → Coinbase board → a16z crypto GP → Haun ventures, her story is about reading people & negotiating with the world.
Intuitive, undefeated, building the future of crypto law & adoption. What a legend to learn from.
Here are a few insights we learned from Katie:
- The crypto regulation we live with today didn’t appear overnight - it’s the result of years of slow, messy, cumulative work. From the outside it might look like sudden progress, but Katie reminded us that regulation always lags behind the innovation curve. The frameworks we have now were shaped by countless cases, negotiations, and quiet battles across agencies.
- Katie’s career arc itself is wild. She went from prosecuting at the DOJ to sitting on Coinbase’s board, then becoming a GP at a16z. On paper these roles look different, but she explained the common thread: both are about reading people and negotiating outcomes. Whether you’re cutting a deal with a defendant or structuring a term sheet, it’s the same skillset of understanding incentives and moving the pieces.
- One thing that stood out - Haun Ventures has stayed clear of blow-ups like FTX and Terra. Katie didn’t have information that others didn’t, she just trusted her instincts. She said that whenever something shines too bright, she feels an extra layer of skepticism. That intuition saved her and her fund from disasters that trapped so much capital.
- Her legal background is not just a bullet point on a resume - it’s a helpful lens through which she sees the industry. She and her team evaluate crypto not only by technical or financial promise but also by how it fits into the trajectory of legal adoption. That’s why they were early in ETH before it was institutionally acceptable. Seeing around the corner from a legal perspective has been a unique edge.
- Another detail: When I asked if she ever lost a case while serving in the DOJ, Katie shared that she had not. She brings that “I will win this” mindset into everything she touches - whether it’s investing, policy, or building her firm. It’s a reminder that confidence paired with preparation compounds over a career.
- On privacy, her point was subtle but powerful. Adoption isn’t about abstract principles, it’s about user experience. People already sacrifice their privacy for convenience when they use social platforms - the same trade-off exists on-chain. Privacy tools won’t get mass adoption until the experience of using them feels just as easy (or easier) than going without.
- In the current landscape of blockchain intersecting with traditional finance, Katie often wonders of teams her firm is evaluating: can this team successfully establish business partnerships with leading asset managers and major institutions? Will they be taken seriously?